REVIEW – Unlikely Hero by Kemmie Michaels

Erin never would have expected to fall in love. Never. Not with her past, and not with her fear. She never dated; she didn’t even allow herself friendships. She didn’t trust her judge-of-character skills enough to allow anyone close…until Marcus.

With him, a deep connection happened in spite of the walls she’d so carefully constructed around herself. His self-confessed rage fueled much of his life, with the exception of her. For Erin, Marcus dares to make the step toward love…one with the potential to heal them both.

In Unlikely Hero, Kemmie Michaels delivers a different twist on the tempting fighter storyline. The journey that unfolds brings together two opposite personalities in an unexpected and surprisingly sweet way. Erin can’t stand violence and spends her days in suits, working a 9 to 5 desk job, while Marcus spends his days sweating and sparring, always looking forward to his next fight. Their unconventional “meeting” had me grinning and I loved that Kemmie Michaels continued with this important piece of the story throughout the rest of the book. I was intrigued by all of the secondary characters that served to fill out and enhance Erin and Marcus’ story. Marcus’ sister was amusing and light, helping Erin break out of her own shell. The emotion and angst that comes along with this novel had me on a complete rollercoaster ride, trying to decide if these two broken souls could find an unlikely hero in each other, swooping in to save the day.

“All the stages of change were interesting. She could relate to each, but none seemed to matter as much as the final beauty. Confidence and love now brightly shown on her soul like the beautiful, varied colors on the species in her frame.”

My favorite part of this story is centered around the open communication between Erin and Marcus. Their relationship had a fairly solid foundation and their honesty allowed the reader to really understand them and feel like a part of their world. Erin was a great character, strong and confident but completely terrified underneath, constantly tugging on my heart with her insecurities and flaws. Marcus quickly proved to be a lot more than a fighter, and frankly I was impressed with the care and kindness he showed Erin. There was a definite spark between these two as their story progressed, but at times I lost that feeling of undeniable attraction due to the slow pace of the story. Both individually and as a couple, Erin and Marcus have some room to grow. I’d hoped to get inside their heads a bit more and spend time attempting to unravel the mess they seem unable to avoid. I am definitely intrigued by this author and am looking forward to seeing where Kemmie Michaels plans on taking the rest of the series.